


Song of the Rebel

by TheTimeKeepersScrewdriver



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bouncing through timelines, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTimeKeepersScrewdriver/pseuds/TheTimeKeepersScrewdriver
Summary: Zuri was rightfully confused when she woke up suspended in blue light, but things are only gonna get weirder. She discovers she's been sent to another universe, the Doctor's universe, and it's up to her to keep him safe from whatever comes. Armed with knowledge of the show, read on to discover if she succeeds, or if the dark forces that seek to destroy the Doctor prevail.
Relationships: Mickey Smith/Rose Tyler
Kudos: 2





	1. Awakening

When Zuri first appeared in the light, she was understandably confused. Squinting she peered around, but all there was to see was a teal blue glow. She seemed to be, floating? It was hard to tell as there wasn't any sensation other than sight. She didn't hear anything, nor feel the air on her skin.

She wasn't sure how long she hung, suspended in the blue glow, but all at once, she heard. A faint hum, reassuring and friendly. The hum grew louder and could almost be words, but not quite. But the message was clear. You are safe. Wait. So she waited.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blue glow began to brighten, and Zuri raised her hand to her eyes. Then it flashed blinding, before fading away, and she could see where she was. She couldn't believe her eyes, yet somehow she knew it was real. The TARDIS hummed as she reached out to stroke the console. Zuri realized that it was the TARDIS that spoke to her before. She raised her eyes to the ceiling sending a mental thank you to whoever decided to bring her here.

Then the Doctor himself appeared.

The Doctor wandered up the steps to the console, muttering to himself about something or another. Then his eyes caught sight of a person. There was a stranger in his TARDIS. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" He demanded in his northern accent. For this was Nine. He was so young.

Zuri held her hands up. "My name's Zuri. I have no idea how I got here, but the TARDIS seems to want me here."

"The TARDIS? How do you know what she's called? Where were you before now? Are you human?" The Doctor rambled as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and scanned her.

Putting her hands down, Zuri explained about the light. "I was at home before, deciding what to eat. But now I'm here. And at least up until I was transported into the center of the TARDIS I have been human my whole life."

The Doctor frowned. "You may have been human before, but your body has absorbed a large amount of Artron Energy. Arriving through the heart of the TARDIS matrix could cause massive damage, but you seem to be fine. I'll have to keep an eye on you for a bit though, to make sure nothing goes wrong. Looks like you're sticking around."

Zuri smiled. "You mean I can stay? Thank you, Doctor!"

"That's another question though. I never told you my name. Maybe you picked up on the TARDIS' name coming through, but you should have no idea who I am."

The TARDIS hummed and Zuri tried to focus on deciphering the words. "She says... She says that I crossed her time stream. That I'm not going to meet you linearly, but pop up throughout your time stream at random."

The Doctor stared at her. "You know what, I believe that because that would explain why you understand her to begin with. I don't want to think about any other causes. So, let me get a scan of your biology before anything else changes, so I have a baseline if something does. Then I have to get back to work, I was in the middle of something when you appeared."

Zuri grinned. She was with the Doctor, in the TARDIS. There was a decent enough explanation about how she knew things. She wouldn't have to tell him his life was a TV series. And she got to stay!

The Doctor got his scans. Zuri's body was full of Artron Energy, swirling through her like blood through the vascular system. He noted her age, twenty-three, and all the other basic vitals. Then he had to get back to what he'd been doing before she popped up. Stopping the Nestene Consciousness from taking over the planet.


	2. Rose

Zuri followed behind the Doctor, fighting to hide her growing excitement. She was with _the Doctor!_ They were about to save _Rose!_

Stopping before the corner, the Doctor held up his hand, signaling to stop. He peeked around the doorway, before reaching an arm around. He pulled on the arm he'd grabbed before saying, "RUN." And tore back down the hall. Zuri and the woman he'd saved right behind, as all the spare shop window dummies pursued.

They dodged through a fire exit and into the lift, the doors closing on one of the shop dummy's arms. The Doctor yanked it off and the doors close.

The woman, Rose, turned to him then. "You pulled his arm off!"

The Doctor grinned. "Yep!" Tossing the arm at her. "Plastic."

"Very clever, nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?"

Zuri snorted. "N-ope."

The Doctor turned to her. "Why would they be students?"

Rose frowned. "I don't know..."

"Well, you said it. Why students?" The Doctor probed.

"'Cause... to get that many people dressed up and being silly... they gotta be students." She reasoned.

Zuri smiled. "Sound logic, but not quite right." She turned then to the Doctor.

He nodded. "She's right. That makes sense! Well done."

"Thanks."

"They're not students."

"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's gonna call the police," Rose said, exasperated.

"Who's Wilson?" The Doctor asked.

"Chief electrician." Rose and Zuri both spoke at the same time.

"Wilson's dead." Zuri continued.

The Doctor and Zuri stepped out of the lift. Rose followed saying, "That's just not funny, that's sick!"

"Hold on." The Doctor pushed Rose to the side. "Mind your eyes." He then pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver, and disable the lift.

"I've had enough of this now." Rose ground out.

The Doctor walked off, pulling Zuri with him.

Rose grew frustrated then, shouting, "Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there? I said, who are they?"

The Doctor turned. "They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device on the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He waved an electronic device in her face.

Zuri smacked him then. "Oi! Rude, Spaceman."

"So!" He continued as if Zuri hadn't spoken, opening the door for Rose. "I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process. But don't worry about me, no. Go home, go on! Go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed." He then slammed the door.

Rose turned away looking bemused, before the door opened again. The Doctor smiled brightly. "I'm the Doctor, by the way, and that's Zuri, what's your name?"

" Rose." She stuttered out as Zuri wiggled her fingers, giggling.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!" And Zuri burst out laughing as he shut the door again.

The Doctor turned to her with an eyebrow raised. "Was it something I said?" But she continued to giggle, with the occasional snort.

Shrugging, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the roof. "Wait in the TARDIS."

Zuri watched from the door as he set the bomb in place, knowing Rose would get out. And be watching as the Doctor joined her in the TARDIS before triggering the bomb.

* * *

The Doctor seemed genuinely shocked the next morning when his blowing up a shop hadn't taken care of the Nestene. But there on the TARDIS screen was the signal, still transmitting. "How?"

"Maybe there's a Secondary Location?" Zuri commented, making air quotes. "Wait does this universe have John Mulaney?!"

"Yes, it does." The Doctor gave her a strange look. "I'll take you to see him sometime. But where is the signal transmitting from? I can't get a lock on it?"

Zuri sighed, leaning against the console. "I'll give you a hint, Doctor. It's big and round. But we've got to go to the Powell Estate first."

He glanced at her. "How do you know that? and Why there?"

She shrugged. "I crossed the TARDIS time stream, I picked up some future knowledge. I may even be able to help in some of your future adventures too. And as for the Powell Estate, well, you want a piece of an Auton to trace back the signal? Miss Rose Tyler has the arm from last night."

* * *

So there they were, the Doctor's face right outside a cat flap, Rose on the other side.

She gasped and opened the door roughly. The Doctor stood. "What're you doing here?" He asked confused.

"I live here."

"Well, what do you do that for?"

"Because I do! And I'm only at home because someone blew up my job."

Zuri rolled her eyes. "You two are ridiculous."

The Doctor got out his sonic screwdriver, buzzing it. "Must've got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you?" He knocked on Rose's forehead. "No, bonehead. Bye, then!"

He made to go, but Rose pulled him back inside as Zuri smacked the back of his head. "Rude again, Rude Boy."

"You, inside. Right now. You too." She grabbed Zuri by the braid, tugging lightly. She then shut the door.

"Who is it?" Jackie Tyler, Rose's mum, called out from her room.

Rose poked her head into the room. "It's about last night, they're part of the inquiry. Give us 10 minutes." Before she disappeared around the corner.

The Doctor stepped to the doorway as Jackie stated, "She deserves compensation."

The Doctor smirked. "Huh, we're talking millions." He leaned against the door frame, waiting for Rose to come back.

Jackie looked at him for a moment and stands up, flirtatious.

Zuri, who was standing right behind him, began giggling softly into her hand. Trying to smother the noise so as not to interrupt the scene happening in front of her.

"I'm in my dressing gown," Jackie stated.

"Yes, you are." The Doctor nodded.

"There's a strange man in my bedroom."

Zuri snorted. Giving her a mild look of reproval, the Doctor answered, "Yes, there is."

"Well, anything could happen." Jackie pointed out.

Zuri snorted again, before she couldn't contain herself anymore and laughed out loud. Jackie glared at her as the Doctor simply said, "No." Then he turned and walked off, dragging Zuri by the elbow.

Jackie pulled a face at his back.

"Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?" Rose asked as they entered the living room.

"Might as well, thanks! Just milk." The Doctor replied as Zuri shook her head no.

"I don't much like coffee, though I love the smell"

Rose disappeared again into the kitchen and started making coffee. "We should go to the police. Seriously. All three of us." She called back to them.

The Doctor picked up a gossip magazine, glancing at the cover. "That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien." He muttered.

"I'm not blaming you," Rose continued, "even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong."

The Doctor picked up a book then and flicked through it. "Sad ending." He commented as Zuri watched him from the sofa, curious how long he had been in this body.

"They said on the news they'd found a body." Rose sounded a bit dazed, thinking how that could have been her.

The Doctor picked up an envelope and read it as Zuri replied, "Yeah that's probably Mr. Wilson, sorry."

The Doctor discarded the mail and turned to the mirror on the wall, frowning. "Rose Tyler. Ahh, could've been worse!" He poked at his large ears. "Look at me' ears."

Rose rambled on. "All the same, he was nice. Nice bloke."

The Doctor shuffled a pack of cards. "Luck be a lady!"

"Well anyway if we are going to go to the police," she continued, "I want to know what I'm saying."

The Doctor shuffled the cards again as Zuri shook her head, and he managed to make them all go flying. She sighed, chuckling. "Silly Time Lord. Now pick those up before Jackie sees."

"I want you to explain everything," Rose stated, still making coffee.

There was a scuffling from behind the sofa. "What's that then?" The Doctor asked. "You got a cat?" He leaned behind the sofa and the dummy's arm from the shop leaped out and grabbed him by the neck.

Rose wandered in with the coffee saying, "No, we did have, but there's these strays, they come in off the estate..."

Behind her, the Doctor was being strangled viciously by the hand while he and Zuri tried in vain to fight it off.

Zuri had her hands caught trying to pry its fingers back.

Rose didn't quite seem to register that the Doctor was being harassed by a rubber hand. "I told Mickey to chuck that out..." She commented, putting the coffee down on the table. "Honestly, give a man a plastic hand... anyway, I don't even know your name, Doctor... what was it?"

The Doctor threw the hand off and it flew across the room, attaching itself to Rose's face. She screamed and the Doctor leaped up and tried to pull it off. Zuri was still scrambling to get up off the floor where she landed.

The Doctor and Rose crashed onto the coffee table, breaking it, and rolled onto the floor. Zuri finally got up and rushed to pull on the arm as the Doctor pushed Rose back onto the sofa. Quick, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, disabling the hand.

Smug, he commented, "It's alright, I've stopped it. There you go, you see?" He tossed the arm at her. "'Armless."

"Do you think?" Rose shouted, using it to whack him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" The Doctor moped, before grabbing Zuri and heading out the door. He took off down the stairs, Rose hot on his tail. "Hold on a minute, you can't just go swanning off." She complained.

"Yes, I can. Here we are, this is us, swanning off. See ya!"

"That arm was moving, it tried to kill me!"

"Ten out of ten for observation."

"You can't just walk away, that's not fair! You've got to tell me what's going on."

Zuri smiled as they reached the bottom of the stairwell. "Rose Tyler you are a star. But not everything can be explained. Not yet anyway. Soon you will understand, but time must happen in its order, or the galaxies could fall." She reached out and hugged the shorter woman, as the Doctor looked on, confused.

"Alright then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking." Rose blustered.

"Is that supposed to sound tough?" The Doctor smirked. Humans are so cute.

"Sort of?"

"Doesn't work." Zuri chuckled. "But good try."

"Who are you?" Rose finally asked.

"I told you! I'm The Doctor, she's Zuri."

"Yeah. But Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor." "The Doctor." She stated flatly.

"Hello!" He waved.

Zuri slapped his hand, before muttering about cheeky Time Lords and frightening the natives.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" Rose asked, incredulous.

"Sort of."

"Come on. You can tell me. I've seen enough. Are you the police?"

"No. I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home. Zuri was a surprise passenger."

"But what have I done wrong? How comes those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh! Suddenly the entire world revolves around you! You were just an accident, you got in the way, that's all." The Doctor flinched as Zuri reached to smack the back of his head again.

"It tried to kill me!" Rose pointed out.

"It was after me, not you! Last night, in the shop, I was there, you blundered in. Almost ruined it. The whole reason it fixed on you is that you met me."

Rose scoffed. "So, what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you."

"That's what he'd like to think, but it's not true." Zuri cut in. "Just because your tech's more advanced doesn't make you more important than the rest of us. You've just got an educational edge." She shook her finger in the Doctors face. "Don't think I'm going to tolerate rudeness to any of our companions. Just 'cause I might jump off to a different part of the time stream won't make them any less important."

The Doctor nodded, although Zuri couldn't tell if it was just to get her to shut up. But she knew what he was like when he got clever. She wouldn't let any of their future companions feel less than amazing because he felt smart.

Rose stared. "You're full of it!"

"Sort of, yeah." The Doctor shrugged.

"But, all this plastic stuff, who else knows about it?" She asked.

"No one."

"What, you guys are on your own?"

The Doctor shrugged again. "Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly! When all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on!"

Rose reached over and took the arm off him. "Okay, start from the beginning. If you're gonna go with this living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do... how did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

"So that's radio control?"

"Thought control."

Zuri rested her hand on Rose's arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. So, who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story." The Doctor quipped.

"But what's it all for?" Rose asked. "I mean, shop window dummies... what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?"

The three of them laughed. "No." The Doctor stated.

"I know." Rose chuckled.

"It's not a price war." The Doctor laughed again, before going very serious. "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?"

"No." Rose looked uncertain.

Zuri smiled at her. Such a clever, strong-willed, human being, makes one proud of their species.

The Doctor smirked. "But you're still listening."

Rose stopped, but Zuri and the Doctor walked on.

"Really though, Doctor. Tell me. Who are you?"

The Doctor stopped. "Do you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving?"

He walked back in Rose's direction as Zuri muttered that _no, they weren't saying that at any previous point in the conversation._

"It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it."

He took both their hands. "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go..."

He dropped their hands. "That's who I am girls. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler." He took the arm, waving it in her face. "Go home." He then walked away, Zuri following slowly.

Rose watched his retreating back as Zuri mouthed, "We'll see each other again." And then started to walk herself.

* * *

The Doctor stepped into his police box, Zuri close behind. "Doctor? You're not alone you know. You've got me now. The TARDIS showed me things, things you did before, and I know about the Time War, and the Moment. But you're not alone anymore. I'm sticking with you like glue. Because no one deserves to be alone. No one."

All he could do was stare. She knew? She knew about the other him, the one from the Time War, and she didn't hate him? She wanted to stay? But how could she? She couldn't know. Not everything.

"You couldn't possibly know. Not all of it. The things I've done, people I've hurt, lives destroyed. I'm not a good man Zuri, and I'm sorry you're stuck here."

She shook her head. "No. I may be forced to bounce around your time stream, but I want to be here. I know you. I know more about you than you would probably like me to know. I'm sorry in advance for if... when that knowledge hurts you. But never doubt I want to be here." She smiled at him. "Now, can I get a tour of this sexy ship?"

The TARDIS hummed her acceptance and joy at her two people getting along.

The Doctor glanced at the humming time rotor and agreed. "If you're gonna be here a while we'd best get you a room, and I'll show you the library and the kitchen. Everything else I'll let you find on your own, more fun that way." He winked and the pair set off into the TARDIS.

* * *

After a brief time exploring the TARDIS, the Doctor reminded Zuri that they had work to do. They traced the signal again, to a restaurant, and disguised themselves as waiters. And who should they find sitting at the table but Rose Tyler and an auton. Disguised as Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith. They caught the tail end of its sentence as they approached.

"...sugar, sweetheart."

"What're you doing that for?" Rose asked it, completely oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend was a plastic Ken doll.

The Doctor stepped up saying, "Your champagne." And offering the bottle he found in the kitchen.

"We didn't order any champagne." The auton replied, before taking Rose's hand. "Where's the Doctor?"

The Doctor had simply moved to the other side of the table and held the bottle out to Rose. "Ma'am. Your champagne."

"It's not ours... Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" The auton insisted.

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" The Doctor pressed.

Plastic Mickey, exasperated, raised his eyes for the first time. "Look, we didn't order i..." Then it realized who was standing there. "Ah. Gotcha."

The Doctor shook the bottle as Zuri prepared to run. "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" The cork popped out and hit plastic Mickey squarely on the forehead.

Freakishly, his forehead absorbed the cork and he spit it out of his mouth. Rose finally realized she's been on a date with an auton as his hands turned into clubs.

He smashed the table in, too impatient to go around the table.

Rose screamed as Zuri pulled her out of the way.

The Doctor grabbed the Auton's head and pulled it off.

"Don't think that's gonna stop me." The head spoke.

A couple at a nearby table screamed, but the Doctor just grinned. Rose slammed the fire bell and Zuri began directing people. "Everyone out! Out now!"

Frantic people scrambled for the exit.

The Auton body stayed inside, blindly smashing tables with his club-hands.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" Rose shouted as she, Zuri, and the Doctor ran through the kitchen and out of a back exit.

The Doctor locked the metal door with his sonic while Rose looked around. Desperate to find an escape out of the yard they found themselves in.

She banged at some locked gates, while Zuri sighed. "Rosie, follow us."

Rose ignored her, shouting, "Open the gate! Use that tube thing, come on!"

"What, this? This is a sonic screwdriver." The Doctor pulled out his sonic, sounding offended.

"Use it!"

"Nah. Tell ya what, let's go in here." He approached the police box in the middle of the yard and unlocked it, Zuri right behind him.

The Auton was beginning to make dents in the door from the other side. Rose ran to look at it.

"We can't hide inside a wooden box!" She shouted, running to the gate and rattling the chains. "It's gonna get us! Zuri! Doctor!" She finally ran into the TARDIS.

Rose slammed the door behind her, took a few steps in, looked around, then ran straight back out again. She walked once around the box and arrived back at the front again. The Auton finally made a hole in the door, so she ran back into the TARDIS. "It's gonna follow us!"

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute."

Rose stood trembling near the door of the TARDIS, looking around at how huge it is compared with the outside, while Zuri grinned.

The Doctor was wiring up the head of the Auton. "You see, the arm is too simple, but the head's perfect."

Rose still looked overwhelmed, and Zuri made her way over to comfort the girl.

"I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right." The Doctor turned to Rose, giving her his full attention. "Where do you want to start?"

"Um... the inside's bigger than the outside?"

"Yes."

"It's alien."

"Yup."

"Are you alien?"

"Yes. Well, I am, Zuri's undetermined. Is that alright?"

"Yeah."

"It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S, that's Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

Rose let out a small sob.

"That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us."

Zuri smacked him then. "She's worried about Mickey you idiot. You know, the base model for the head you've got melting on your console?"

"Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh... didn't think of that."

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?!"

"Melt?" He turned around in time to see 'Mickey's head melting with a bubbling noise. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" He ran frantically around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"What're you doing?" Rose demanded.

"Reviving the signal, it's fading! Wait I've got it... No, No, No, No, No, No, NO!" The TARDIS shook as the engines moved, and Zuri clung to the jump seat. "Almost there! Almost there! Here we go!" The Doctor chanted.

The engines stopped and the Doctor ran out the TARDIS doors without another word.

"You can't go out there, it's not safe!" Rose called before she and Zuri followed him outside.

"I lost the signal, I got so close." The Doctor moaned, Zuri patting his arm reassuringly.

"Don't worry Doc, you've almost got it."

Rose hopped in and out of the TARDIS, looking confused again. "We've moved! Does it fly?"

"Disappears there, reappears here, you wouldn't understand."

Zuri scoffed. "Again, just cause we didn't go to space school doesn't make us stupid."

"But if we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose." Rose pointed out.

"It melted with the head, are you going to witter on all night?"

"I'll have to tell his mother..." Rose continued.

The Doctor looked at her questioningly.

"Mickey! I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!"

The Doctor rolls his eyes, unconcerned, but Zuri reached over and smacked him. "You're gonna get smacked a lot if you keep that up."

"You were right, you are alien." Rose mused before she turned to walk away.

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey..." The Doctor began.

"Yeah, he's not a kid," Rose argued.

Zuri snickered. "Debatable."

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?" The Doctor finished.

"Alright?" Rose shouted.

"Yes! It is!"

Rose shook her head disbelieving. "If you are an alien, then how comes you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a North." He folded his arms indignantly and looked away.

Zuri again patted his arm, earning her a slight smile. She grinned back in response.

"What's a police public call box?" Rose abruptly asked.

"It's a telephone box from the 1950s." The Doctor pat the TARDIS fondly, grinning. "It's a disguise."

Rose smiled and shook her head. "Okay. And this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

Zuri butted into the conversation. "Nothing, it loves us. We've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air... perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth... dinner!"

Rose grinned. "Any way of stopping it?"

Grinning, the Doctor produced a tube of blue liquid from his jacket. "Anti-plastic!" He announced.

"Anti-plastic..."

"Anti-plastic! But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on... hide what?" Rose asked.

"The transmitter," Zuri answered. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal. That's what he's looking for."

"What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London." He paced around, agitated, looking around for a clue. "A huge circular metal structure... like a dish..." He stood facing Rose, his back to a grinning Zuri, and the railings of the bridge.

Behind him, the London Eye loomed 450 feet above them, but he didn't seem to register.

Rose glanced at Zuri as she began snickering.

"...like a wheel. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible." He continued.

Rose considered the Eye behind him. Then she understood why Zuri was snickering. "Um, Doctor?"

"What?"

Rose nodded towards the Eye.

The Doctor turned around, then back to her, completely nonplussed. "What?"

Rose shook her head, looking at the Eye still. He turned around but still failed to make the connection.

"What is it? What?" He asked as Zuri began full-on cackling, Rose simply carried on staring at the Eye.

The Doctor turned around again and finally, it clicked. "Oh... fantastic! Oh, and you told me before, Zuri. Big and round. I should have been listening." He grinned and ran off.

* * *

Hand in hand, the Doctor, Zuri, and Rose ran across London Bridge towards the Eye. They came to a halt at the foot of the Eye. "Think of it. Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables..." The Doctor ranted.

"The breast implants..." Rose snickered.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

Zuri wandered for a moment before she found the entrance to a manhole at the foot of the wall. "Doctor?"

"Looks good to me."

They ran down the stairs to the manhole. The Doctor took the lid off it, and red light and smoke poured out. They all climbed down the ladder underground.

The Doctor opened the door to another chamber and they went down some steps. The Doctor then pointed to a huge, orange, wobbling mass in the middle of the chamber. "The Nestene Consciousness, that's it, inside the vat. A living, plastic creature."

"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." Rose stated, confused.

"We're not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance."

They went down some more steps, then the Doctor leaned over the railings and addressed the Consciousness. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract. According to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

The Consciousness flobbled around a bit, while Zuri kept an eye on the duplicates edging closer.

"Thank you." The Doctor continued. "That I might have permission to approach."

Meanwhile, as Rose paced around in the background, she spotted Mickey and ran to him. The Doctor rolled his eyes. Zuri edged further into the corner unnoticed.

"Oh, my God! Mickey! It's okay! It's alright!" She squatted down next to him.

"That thing down there, the liquid, Rose, it can talk!" Mickey squeaked.

"You're stinking! Doctor, they kept him alive!"

"Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

"You knew that and you never said?" She raged.

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?"

Rose helped Mickey to his feet, him clinging to her like a child, while the Doctor approached the Consciousness.

"Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"

The plastic wobbled and gurgled in what appeared to be a negative manner.

"Oh don't give me that, it's an invasion! Plain and simple! Don't talk about constitutional rights!" The Doctor pointed out.

The plastic reared what would appear to be its head, angry.

"I... am... talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf - please, just go."

Two Autons approached the Doctor from behind as Rose called out. "Doctor!"

The Autons grabbed him. One of them taking the anti-plastic out of his jacket pocket.

"That was just insurance! I wasn't going to use it." The Doctor argued.

The plastic globbered angrily.

"I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not... what do you mean?" The Doctor turned as doors above him opened to reveal the TARDIS.

Zuri snuck quietly along the wall, singing the Mission Impossible theme in her head.

"Oh, oh no, honestly, no! Yes, that's my ship." The Doctor explained as the plastic roars. "That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

"What's it doing?" Rose cried.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's terrified! It's going to the final base. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it! Now!"

Rose dialed a number on her phone, ignoring him. "Mum?!"

"Oh, there you are, I was just gonna phone. You can get compensation. I said so. I've got this document thing off the police - don't thank me!" Jackie rambled.

"Where are you, mum?"

"I'm in town!"

"Go home! Just go home, right now!"

"Darling, you're breaking up, look, I'm just going to do a bit of late-night shopping. I'll see you later. Tara!" Jackie hung up.

"Mum? Mum!"

The Consciousness sent out a signal.

"It's the activation signal! It's transmitting!" The Doctor screamed.

The electric blue signal shoots around the Eye. "Get out, Rose! Zuri! Just get out! Run!"

Part of the ceiling collapsed, blocking the stairs.

"The stairs have gone!" Rose called as she and Mickey try desperately to get into the TARDIS. "I haven't got the key!"

"We're gonna die!" Mickey sobbed.

"Oh honestly." Zuri sighed as she watched the Doctor struggle to get to the anti-plastic, then reached a decision.

"Just leave him!" Mickey called as Zuri found an ax and began hacking a chain.

"No job..." Rose muttered as she came to help. "No A levels, no future." Rose yanked at the chain on the wall, trying to release it. "But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastics team." As the chain came loose Rose grabbed onto it. "I got the bronze!"

Rose swung across the gap over the Consciousness. She kicked the Autons holding the Doctor hostage into the Nestene, anti-plastic and all. Then Zuri caught her as she swung back around.

The Consciousness starts to writhe and scream.

"Now we're in trouble." The Doctor muttered.

The Consciousness started to explode as the four of them rushed to the TARDIS.

The signal from the Eye cut off. The Autons in the high street that were attacking people, stopped, and started to twitch as if they are doing some kind of dance.

Rose, the Doctor, Zuri, and Mickey all managed to reach the TARDIS. Rose grinned at the Consciousness before she went in and closed the door, as it started to die.

Just before the whole chamber went up in flames, the TARDIS disappeared, reappearing in an alley.

* * *

Mickey ran backward out of the TARDIS and fell over, looking terrified. He backed up against a wall.

Rose, however, stepped out and immediately rung her mother on her phone.

"Rose! Rose! Don't go out of the house, it's not safe!" Jackie called into the phone.

Rose laughed in relief to hear Jackie's voice.

"There were all of these things! And they were shooting! And they..."

Satisfied that Jackie was alive, Rose hung up on her, smiling to herself, then ran over to Mickey. "A fat lot of good you were!" She teased. But Mickey whimpered.

The Doctor stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, smirking. "Nestene Consciousness? Easy."

"You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." She turned to face the TARDIS. "Well me and Zuri."

"Yes, I would. Thank you. Right then! I'll be off! Unless, uh... I don't know... you could come with us."

Zuri smiled from over the Doctor's shoulder. "Yeah, Rosie! It'll be fun. We could go anywhere, any when."

Rose looked at him and puts her hands in her pockets.

"This box isn't just a London hopper, you know, it goes anywhere in the universe free of charge." The Doctor continued.

"Don't! He's an alien! He's a thing!" Mickey cried.

"He's not invited. What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh... anywhere."

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose wondered.

"Yeah. That's the fun part." Zuri replied.

Mickey put his arms around Rose's legs like a little child.

"Yeah, I can't... I've um... gotta go and find my mum and um... someone's gotta look after this stupid lump..." She let out a small laugh, patting Mickey on the back. "So..."

"Okay. See you around." The Doctor smiled. Rose looked at him intensely, as if she still hadn't really made up her mind.

The Doctor didn't take his eyes off her but closed the door.

Rose looked at the closed door and watched as the engines of the TARDIS revved up, and it disappeared.

"Uh, Doctor? You forgot to tell her it's a time machine." Zuri prompted.

The TARDIS reappeared just as noisily.

The Doctor popped his head out. "By the way... Did I mention, it also travels in time?" He grinned and went back in as Zuri grinned at him from the jump seat, leaving the door ajar.

Rose turned to Mickey. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?"

"Exactly." She kissed his cheek and ran into the TARDIS with a broad smile on her face as Zuri cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next... The Unicorn and the Wasp


	3. The Unicorn and the Wasp

Zuri leaned forward on the jump seat, excited for her first trip into space, as Rose grinned at the Doctor.

But before he could begin to show off, Rose let out a cry of shock. "Doctor! Zuri, she's... glowing?"

He spun around as Zuri glanced down.

Rose was right. She was glowing, a faint blue that matched the time rotor at the center of the TARDIS console. She began to feel warm, like the sun was shining directly on her, despite being inside.

The Doctor whipped out his Sonic and scanned her. "The Artron energy in your body is... excited, for lack of a better term. Something is happening."

Before she could respond, the light surrounding Zuri flared, blinding them, and then she was gone.

* * *

Zuri opened her eyes as the glow dimmed, to see she was still in the TARDIS control room. But something was different. Rose and the Ninth Doctor were gone, and in their place stood Donna Noble, and the Tenth Doctor.

"Woah. That was weird." She muttered to herself. "Oi, Doctor. What happened?"

"Zuri!" The Doctor spun around in excitement. "When did you pop in?"

"Well just now, but I'm not quite sure what happened exactly. I was with Ninth you and Rose? We were dealing with the Nestene Consciousness."

"Oh. First jump. Well, first things second!" The Doctor jumped down the steps before returning to the console, a dark red book in his hand.

"Here, this is going to be your diary, you need to track our adventures as they happen to you. You also keep your future knowledge in there as I understand.

"Now. What happened was, when you first arrived in this universe, you passed through the TARDIS time stream. That means that you interacted with her at different points out of order. It also filled your body with Artron energy."

He shoved his hands in his coat pockets as Zuri nodded.

"Ok. So I bounce around the time stream? Right. Make sense, so the last time you saw me was me from my future?" She asked in confirmation.

The Doctor nodded. "Right, so you need to keep track of the number of jumps you've made, that lets me know what I can and can't say."

Zuri agreed. "Alright then, this would be jump 1, adventure 2 then. Where are we? Or can you tell me? I mean I know what you've done, just not my role in it."

Donna cut into the conversation then, tired of being ignored. "Oi, hello Zuri. We've just been with Martha and the Hath."

"Ah, ok. I know where I am then. Shall we?" Zuri gestured to the TARDIS doors.

The three of them stepped out, a buzzing sound in the air. "Smell that air." The Doctor commented. "Grass and lemonade, and a little bit of mint. A hint of mint must be the nineteen twenties."

"You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" Donna gaped.

"Oh yeah," He nodded.

"Sure Doctor. It's got nothing to do with the vintage car coming up the drive." Zuri snorted.

The trio ducked behind a bush as a butler and footman emerged from the house.

"The Professor's baggage, Richard, step lively!" The butler stated. "Good afternoon, Professor Peach."

"Hello Greeves, old man." The professor replied. "Ah, Reverand." He continued, as a vicar rode up on a bike.

"Professor Peach! Beautiful day. The Lord's in His Heaven, all's right with the world." The man replied, getting off his bike.

"Reverand Golightly." Greeves began. "Lady Eddison requests that you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half-past four."

The professor waved the others on. "You go on up, I have to check something in the library."

"Oh?" The Reverand asked.

"Alone."

"This is supposed to be a party! All this work will be the death of you."

"Nevermind planet Zog," Donna stated. "A party in the nineteen twenties, that's more like it"

"Problem is, we haven't been invited." The Doctor teased, pulling out his psychic paper. "Oh, I forgot, yes we have!"

Zuri grabbed his arm. "Come on, Donna and I aren't dressed for the twenties." She then dragged him back towards the TARDIS, intent on locating the wardrobe.

* * *

The Doctor tapped the TARDIS doors. "Come on girls, we'll be late for cocktails!"

Donna opened the door stepping out in a brown, twenties style dress. "What d'you think? Flapper, or slapper?"

"Flapper. You look lovely. Where's Zuri?"

"Right here." She stepped outside in a knee-length blue dress, blue eyeshadow accenting her brown eyes. "Shall we?" She gestured toward the party.

* * *

"Good afternoon." The Doctor waved as the three of them approached the festivities.

"Drinks, sir? Ma'am?" Davenport asked.

"Sidecar, please," Donna asked.

"None for me, he'll have a lime and soda," Zuri said, eyes narrowed slightly as the footman mostly ignored her. She should have known, it being the twenties, or at least guessed.

The Doctor glanced at her in shock briefly before nodding with a grin. "Yup." He opened his mouth to say more but was stopped by Greeves.

"May I announce, Lady Clemency Eddison."

"Lady Eddison." The Doctor greeted.

"Forgive me, but who exactly might you be, and what are you doing here?"

"I'm the Doctor. And this is Miss Donna Noble of the Chiswick Nobles, and Lady Zuri, of TARDIS."

Donna began speaking in what she thought was a posh accent, Zuri face-palming behind her. "Good afternoon, my lady. Topping day, what? Spiffing. Top hole!"

"No, no, no, no, no. Don't do that, don't" The Doctor told her under his breath, pulling out the psychic paper. "We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady. We met at the Ambassador's reception?"

"Doctor, how could I forget you? But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose."

"A unicorn? Brilliant! Where?" Donna bounced.

"The Unicorn." Lady Eddison stated. "The jewel thief. And nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again, snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose."

"Funny place to wear pearls," Donna muttered.

Greeves interrupted before any more was said. "May I announce, the Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Honourable Roger Curbishley."

"My husband, and son." Lady Eddison remarked.

"Forgive me for not rising," The Colonel said. "Never been the same ever since that flu epidemic back in eighteen."

Roger stepped up to Donna then. "My word, you are a super lady."

"Oh, I like the cut of your jib. Chin chin." She replied.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor, this is Lady Zuri."

"How do you do?"

"Very well."

Davenport walked over then, offering Roger a drink. "Your usual, sir?"

"Ah thank you, Davenport. Just how I like it."

Donna leaned over to the Doctor. "How come she's an Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishley's?"

Zuri smiled at her, placing a hand on her arm. "Oh, the Eddison title descends through her. Roger will be a lord one day. Oh and Donna. He's on the other bus. Sorry." She then turned as Donna groaned to see the new woman headed in their direction. Knowing she'd have to keep an eye on this one, for she was not what she seemed.

"Robina Redmond," Greeves announced.

"She's the absolute hit of the social scene." Lady Eddison commented. "A must. Miss Redmond!"

"Spiffing to meet you, at last, my lady. What super fun."

The Reverand approached then and was introduced by Greeves.

Lady Eddison reached to shake his hand. "Ah, Reverand. How are you? I heard about the church last Thursday night. Those ruffians breaking in."

"You apprehended them, I hear." The Colonel added.

The Reverand nodded. "As the Christian Fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses. Quite literally."

At that Zuri burst into giggles.

The Doctor sighed. Zuri this young was so vibrant and open. He wished it would last longer.

As Zuri managed to quiet her giggles she glanced at him, mirth still bubbling in her eyes. She knew it probably wasn't that funny, but something in the way he spoke, the tone of the sentence amused her. Tuning back into the conversation around her, she realized another woman was approaching the group.

"Here she is, a lady who needs no introduction." Lady Eddison announced as everyone began clapping.

"No, no, please. Don't. Thank you, Lady Eddison, honestly. There's no need. Agatha Christie." The woman held her hand out to the Doctor.

"What about her?" Donna asked.

"That's me."

"Nooo. You're kidding."

"Agatha Christie, I was just talking about you the other day. I said, 'I bet she's brilliant'. I'm the Doctor and this is Donna and Zuri. Oooh, I love your stuff. What a mind! You fool me every time. Well, almost every time. Well, once or twice. Well, once. But it was a good once!" The Doctor rambled, aggressively shaking her hand.

"You make a rather unusual couple," Agatha noted, completely ignoring Zuri.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, we're not married." The Doctor clarified.

"Well obviously not, no wedding ring."

"Oh, oh, you don't miss a trick." The Doctor grinned as Donna glanced down at her fingers.

"I'd stay that way if I were you." Agatha mused. "The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture."

She turned away as Lady Eddison gushed. "Mrs. Christie, I'm so glad you could come. I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books. Is, ah, Mr. Christie not joining us?"

"Is he needed? Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"

"Don't give my wife ideas." The Colonel laughed.

"Now Mrs. Christie," Roger interrupted. "I have a question. Why a Belgian detective?"

"Belgian's make such lovely buns."

"I say, where on earth is Professor Peach? He'd love to meet Mrs. Christie." Roger then noted.

"Said he was going to the library." The Reverand offered.

The Doctor gestured the girls off to the side as Lady Eddison sent the maid, Miss Chandrakala to find the Professor. "Girls, look at the date." He held up a newspaper he'd snatched off the Colonel only moments before.

"What about it?" Donna asked.

"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared," Zuri noted. Getting more annoyed with these party-goers the longer they ignored her. "She's just discovered her husband is having an affair, though why anyone would cheat on such a lovely woman..." She trailed off.

"You'd never think, to look at her." Donna marveled. "Smiling away."

"Well, she's British and moneyed." The Doctor explained. "That's what they do. They just carry on. Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened, she just vanished. her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake. Ten days later, Agatha Christie turns up in a hotel in Harrogate. She said she'd lost her memory. She never spoke about the disappearance until the day she died, but whatever it was..."

"It's about to happen." Donna finished. "Right here, right now." He confirmed. Then, the maid came running out of the house, screaming. "Professor! The library! Murder! Murder!"

* * *

The Doctor, Donna, Zuri, and Agatha enter the library first, and the Doctor ran straight for the body. Bending down, he took out his glasses and put them on.

"Do you really need those, or are they just to look cool?" Zuri wondered, before blushing as she realized she'd said that out loud.

The Doctor opened his mouth but was interrupted by Greeves. "Oh my goodness!"

"Bashed on the head." The Doctor informed, checking the man's watch. "Blunt instrument. Watch broke as he fell, time of death was quarter past four." He then stood and began searching the papers on the desk.

"Bit of pipe," Donna added, lifting the pipe to show them. "Call me Hercule Poirot, but I reckon that's blunt enough." "Nothing worth killing for in that lot, dry as dust." The Doctor said to Agatha. She picked through the ashes in the fireplace before she quietly pocketed a slip of paper that hadn't quite finished burning.

"Hold on," Donna said, incredulous. "The body in the library? I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?"

Zuri nodded to her. "Sounds a lot like Cluedo, but when you think about it, all murders are a victim, in a location, with a murder weapon."

Then the other party guests arrived and Zuri clamped her mouth shut. If they were going to be rude, then she wouldn't insert herself in their conversation. When they saw the scene, everyone began talking at once, the room a cacophony of noise.

Agatha shouted over them, "Someone should call the police."

"You don't have to. " The Doctor flashed the psychic paper again. "Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. These ladies are the plucky young girls who help me out. Mrs. Christie was right, go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn."

Agatha shooed them all out of the crime scene, before leaving herself.

* * *

"The plucky young girls who help me out?" Donna raged.

"No policewomen in nineteen twenty-six." The Doctor explained with a shrug.

"I'll pluck you in a minute. Why don't we phone the real police?"

"Donna," Zuri sighed. "We don't need idiot policemen poking their noses in while we're here."

"Especially now I've found this. Morphic residue."

"Morphic? Doesn't sound very nineteen twenty-six." Donna commented.

"It's left behind when certain species re-encode."

"The murderer is an alien?"

"Which means, one of that lot is an alien in human form." Zuri nodded with a grin. "Isn't it wonderful? I mean not that someones died, but. "

"But think about it." Donna interrupted. "Agatha Christie. A murder mystery?"

"So? happens to us all the time." The Doctor gestured at Zuri before she smacked him.

"Haven't been there yet, don't spoil things."

"No, but isn't that weird?" Donna continued. "Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. I mean that's like meeting Charles Dickens, and he's surrounded by ghosts at Christmas."

Zuri giggled and the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Well..."

"Oh come on! It's not like we could drive across the country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real. is he? Tell me there's no Noddy!"

"There's no Noddy," Zuri confirmed.

"Next thing you know you'll be telling me it's like Murder on the Orient Express and they all did it."

As they were speaking they exited the library and ran into Agatha. "Murder on the Orient Express?"

"Oh yeah. One of your best." Donna nodded.

"But not just yet, Donna." Zuri murmured.

"Marvelous idea though." Agatha mused.

"Yeah. Tell you what, copyright Donna Noble, okay?"

"Anyway!" The Doctor interrupted before any more damage could be done. "Agatha and I will question the suspects, you girls search the bedrooms for clues." He reached into his pocket. "Any more residue." He added in a whisper, handing her a magnifying glass. "You'll need this."

"Is that for real?" Donna managed.

"Go on, you're ever so plucky."

Donna turned to Zuri with a frown, who shrugged and pulled her by the arm towards the stairs.

* * *

The two women headed upstairs, trying every door on the floor. Most of the rooms were unused, and as such gave them nothing but the sneezes from dust collected under the door. They did find one room packed to the brim with trunks. Most holding old clothes, or baby things, and emanated the scent of mothballs.

But one trunk lay hidden, off to the side of the doorway, giving off a menacing vibe. It was plain, solid wood with well-kept leather joints, and a small brass keyhole with no key in sight. Zuri started to investigate when Donna let out a small scream from the hall.

Rushing out, she realized that Donna had only been startled by Greeves. "You won't find anything in there." He said ominously.

"How come it's locked?" Donna asked.

"Lady Eddison commands it to be so."

"Well, I command it to be otherwise. Scotland Yard. Pip-pip."

The man was reluctant but did eventually move to open the door.

"Why's it locked in the first place?" Donna queried.

"Many years ago, when my father was butler to the family, Lady Eddison returned from India with malaria."

"Oof, ghastly thing that. Makes you ache all over and feel you'll die of fever." Zuri muttered.

"She locked herself in this room for six months until she recovered. Since then, the room has remained undisturbed." Greeves continued as he got the door open. "As you can see, there's nothing in here."

Zuri poked her head in briefly. "How long has it been empty, Greeves?"

"Forty years."

"Why would she seal it off?" Donna wondered. "All right, we need to investigate, so you just... butle off."

The two women stepped inside and closed the door behind them. In case someone else wandered down the hall. There wasn't much to see, a bed with a teddy bear, basic furniture. A faint buzz could be heard by the window. "Nineteen twenty-six, they've still got bees," Donna remarked. "Oh, what a noise. All right, busy bee I'll let you out. Hold on I shall find you with my amazing powers of detection."

Zuri giggled softly before remembering that it wasn't a bee. "Donna, wait!" But Donna had pulled the heavy curtain back to reveal the biggest wasp she'd ever seen in her life.

She screamed as the creature smashed the glass of the window, then was pulled back towards the door by Zuri.

"Run!"

But Donna thrusts the magnifying glass into a ray of sunlight coming in the broken window, aiming the condensed light beam at the creature. It stopped for a moment, long enough for both women to rush out and slam the door, shouting, "Doctor!"

* * *

The Doctor and Agatha ran up from where they were interrogating, only to nearly run into Zuri.

"It's a giant wasp." Donna gasped, breathing uneven and harsh.

"What do you mean, a giant wasp?" The Doctor asked, exasperated.

"She means a wasp, that's giant!" Zuri informed them, exasperated herself.

Agatha sighed. "It's only a silly little insect."

"When I say giant," Donna pressed. "I don't mean big, I mean flippin' enormous. Look at its sting!" She gestured to the solid wooden door with a massive stinger thrust straight through it.

"Let me see." The Doctor requested, reaching for the knob. "It's gone. Buzzed off."

Agatha bent down to look closer at the stinger. "But that's fascinating..."

"D-d-d-d-don't touch it! Don't touch it. Let me..." The Doctor collected more morphic residue off the stinger. "Giant wasp. Well tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms, but none in this galactic sector."

"I think I understood some of those words." Agatha began. "Enough to know that you're completely potty."

"Lost it's sting though, that leaves it defenseless." Donna pointed out.

Zuri leaned her shoulder against the hallway wall, not quite used to all the adrenaline. "Sorry no. It can grow another one. pretty rapid."

Agatha had had enough. "Can we return to sanity? There's no such thing as giant wasps!"

"Exactly." The Doctor nodded glancing at Zuri in concern. "So the question is, what's it doing here?"

Before anyone could respond there was a thud outside.

* * *

Miss Chandrakala was on the ground, crushed beneath a gargoyle that had fallen from the house. She managed to rasp out, "The poor...little...child..." before she died.

The wasp buzzed overhead, and the others chased it a little way before Donna scared it off with the magnifying glass, but Zuri stared in shock.

She had known, intellectually, that there were deaths in the Doctor's adventures. She had seen the episodes plenty of times. Hell, she had seen Professor Peach's body.

But to see this woman, who had been in the garden with them just hours ago, who Zuri had smiled at... Her stomach roiled, and she ran to the nearest bush, throwing up what remained of her last meal. Which now that she thought about it, had been the day before they defeated the Nestene. She should really try to eat soon.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she staggered back in the direction of the Doctor.

"You alright?" He asked softly, concern filled eyes scanning her over.

Zuri hummed. "I uh. Well, I've never seen someone die like that, I... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

The Doctor reached over, wrapping her in his arms. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I forgot this is your first trip, I keep expecting you to act like your older self, who has been through enough she knows how to respond."

"But I knew." Zuri sniffed, fighting back tears. "I knew she was going to die and I forgot. How could I forget? How could I let someone die because I was too busy having fun with you?"

And with that, she let the tears flow, embarrassed that she let the Doctor see her cry, but in too much emotional confusion to stop.

The Doctor merely hugged her tighter. "Oh, my Zuri. You are not responsible for anything that happens, future knowledge or not. People die sometimes, and it's sad, but it's necessary. And sometimes, there will be people you can save, and you have to cherish those days. The days where everybody lives. But it is never your fault, you are not a bad person if someone gets hurt or dies. Never. Some things just can't be prevented. Now dry your eyes my dear, and let's go solve the mystery, eh?"

Zuri stepped a half pace back, wiping her face with her shoulders. She sniffed once more, then set her shoulders and nodded to the Doctor.

He grinned brightly. "That's the spirit! Now. The wasp got away, so we need to get everyone together."

* * *

Once everyone was gathered in the drawing-room, they broke the news about Miss Chandrakala. "My faithful companion, this is terrible!" Lady Eddison sobbed.

Davenport spoke up. "Excuse me my lady, but she was on her way to tell you something."

"She never found me. She had an appointment with death instead."

If Zuri had not still been so upset she'd forgotten a death, she would have rolled her eyes at the dramatic statement. But as it was she was frantically combing her memories of this episode, trying to see where she could help. She could tell all their secrets now, but what if that changed the course of events to where she had no idea what would happen? Could her knowledge of the Doctors future cause her to create a paradox? She decided to wait a little bit longer, before attempting anything.

The Doctor interrupted her thoughts by repeating the dead woman's last words. "'The poor little child'. Does that mean anything to anyone?"

"No children in this house for years, highly unlikely there will be." The Colonel commented with a glance at Davenport and Roger.

"Mrs. Christie, you must have twigged something, you've written simply the best detective stories." Lady Eddison prompted.

"Tell us," The Reverand added. "What would Poirot do?"

"Heaven's sake! Cards on the table woman, you should be helping us." The Colonel demanded.

"But I'm merely a writer."

Robina interjected. "But surely you can crack it, these events, they're exactly like one of your plots."

Donna waved a hand violently. "That's what I've been saying! Agatha, that's got to mean something."

"But what? I've no answers, none. I'm sorry, all of you, I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us then it's the Doctor, not me."

* * *

Agatha and Donna went outside, while Zuri pulled the Doctor into an empty room. "All right, so I've got to ask. My knowledge of the future. Can I safely change things? Can I save people? Or will I blow up the universe?"

Instead of answering straight away, the Doctor glanced around the empty room. "Well... The thing is is that... Well, some things are fixed, some are in flux. Later, when the artron energy inside you settles and finishes... well most of what it does is spoilers, but it will soon give you the ability to see which is which. Until then, if you must make a change, do your best to think through the possible outcomes. Will saving this person change history. And I know that's hard because you've no idea of the history of this universe, although it seems most of earths history is the same. Humans, predictable to the last..."

"OI!" Zuri slapped him upside the head. "Human here. Or at least mostly human with a bit of TARDIS apparently. So be careful until my superpowers arrive, then follow the rules."

The Doctor nodded just as Agatha and Donna returned with a box they found under a window. He proceeded to open it, to find a variety of tools. "Oh, someone came prepared. The sort of stuff a thief would use."

"The Unicorn." Agatha gasped. "He's here?"

"The Unicorn and the Wasp."

Greeves entered then with a tray. "Your drinks, ladies, Doctor." They thanked him and sipped the drinks as they discussed the science stuff.

"Vespiform sting." The Doctor stated. "Vespiforms have got hives in the Silfrax galaxy."

"Again you talk like Edward Lear."

"But for some reason, this ones behaving like a character in one of your books."

"Come on Agatha," Donna encouraged. "What would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard something vital by now because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady."

"Clever idea, Miss Marple? Who writes those?"

"Um, copyright Donna Noble."

"Zuri. Donna."

"Oh alright, we could split the copyright."

"No." The Doctor gasped. "Something's inhibiting my enzymes. Gah! I've been poisoned." Zuri reached for the Doctor as Donna panicked, Agatha sniffing his glass.

"Bitter almonds. It's sparkling cyanide."

They rushed to the kitchen, the Doctor calling out, "Ginger beer!" As he grabbed Davenport.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I need ginger beer." He replied, stumbling to the shelves, sweeping things off on the floor in his hurry.

"I'm an expert in poisons, Doctor. There's no cure." Agatha began before she was interrupted by Zuri.

"Not for him. He needs protein... Aha! Walnuts." She handed him the jar before turning back to the shelves. Hearing Donna try to interpret the Doctors miming. "Anchovies for salt..." She passed the jar before taking a deep breath. "He needs a shock."

Donna looked at her briefly before grabbing the Doctor by the lapels and kissing him. She then let go as he gasped and released a cloud of grey smoke from his mouth, the kitchen staff staring in shock.

"Detox! I must do that more often."

Agatha stared. "Doctor you are impossible! Who are you?"

* * *

That night there was a storm as they all gathered in the dining room. "A terrible day for all of us. The Professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala taken cruelly from us... and yet we still take dinner." The Doctor spoke into the quiet.

"We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?" Lady Eddison asked.

"Then," He continued like she never spoke. "Someone tried to poison me. Anyone of you had the chance to put cyanide in my drink. But it rather gave me an idea."

"And what would that be?" The Reverand asked.

"Well, poison. Drink up!" Everyone glanced suspiciously at the soup and then the Doctor. "I've laced the soup with pepper."

"Ah, I thought it was a jolly spicy," The Colonel nodded.

"But the active ingredient of pepper is piperine. Traditionally used as an insecticide. So. Anyone get the shivers?"

A bolt of lightning struck and the window was blown open violently. Blowing out the candles and sending the room into darkness.

Zuri grabbed blindly for the Doctor's hand as a buzzing sound grew louder.

"No, it can't be..." Lady Eddison's voice could just be heard over the noise.

Lightning struck again as Agatha called out, "Show yourself demon!"

"Nobody move." The Doctor instructed. "No, don't, stay where you are."

The Vespiform revealed itself then, buzzing towards Agatha as the remainder of them panicked and ran for the doors.

"Not you, Agatha. You've got a long, long life to live yet." The Doctor muttered as he dragged her out of the creature's reach. They ended up backed into a small closet, and when the buzzing quieted and they returned to the dining room, they found chaos.

Robina was gasping for air, having draped herself over a chair. The Colonel was topsy-turvy in his wheelchair, Davenport was on the floor, and the others were leaning on the walls. Still in shock at what happened. "My jewelry! The Firestone, it's gone!" Lady Eddison cried, but at the same time, Davenport gasped.

"Roger..." Roger was lying face down in a bowl, a knife in his back, Zuri right beside him clutching a bleeding arm.

"I tried. I tried, Doctor, but I wasn't fast enough." She muttered, rocking slightly in pain.

"My son! My child, no!" Lady Eddison wept.

The Doctor tended to the rather large gash in Zuri's right arm, with reassurances of better pain killers once they returned to the TARDIS.

She winced slightly as he tightened the bandage, apologizing. "I'm sorry, Zuri."

"It's ok. I just wasn't expecting it. I'll be fine. We really should focus on identifying the Vespiform."

The Doctor nodded, and they all convened once again in the drawing-room.

* * *

"I've called you here, on this endless night, because we have a murderer in our midst. And when it comes to detection, there's none finer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Agatha Christie."

He sat down beside Zuri as Agatha stood in his place.

"This is a crooked house." Agatha began. "A house of secrets. To understand the solution, we must examine them all. Starting with you Miss Redmond."

"But I'm innocent, surely?" She scoffed.

"You've never met these people and these people have never met you. I think the real Robina Redmond never left London, you're impersonating her." Agatha continued.

"How silly. What proof do you have?"

"You said you went to the toilet..."

"Oh I know this," Donna commented. "If she was really posh she would have said 'loo'."

Agatha reached down to the table and lifted the Unicorn's box. "Earlier today, Miss Noble and I found this on the lawn. Right beneath your bathroom window. You must have heard that Miss Noble and Lady Zuri were searching the bedrooms, so you panicked. You ran upstairs and disposed of the evidence."

"I've never seen that thing before in my life." Robina denied. Lady Eddison enquired as to the contents of the box, and Agatha opened it. "The tools of your trade, Miss Redmond. Or should I say... the Unicorn! You came to this house with one intention, to steal the Firestone."

Robina stared at Agatha closely before standing. Her accent, her vocal tone, her whole attitude changed. "Oh alright then, it's a fair cop. Yes, I'm the bleedin' Unicorn. Ever so nice to meet you, I don't think. I took my chance in the dark and napped it. Go on then you knobs, arrest me, sling me in jail." She pulled the Firestone from her dress and flung it at the Doctor.

"So... Is she the murderer?" Donna questioned uncertainly.

"Oh don't be so thick. I might be a thief, but I ain't no killer."

"Quite. There are darker motives at work. And in examining this household we come to you..." Agatha glanced at Lady Eddison but turned away. "Colonel."

"Damn it, woman! You with your perspicacity. You've rumbled me." The man stood up from his wheelchair.

"Hugh!" Gasped Lady Eddison. "You can walk? But why?"

"My darling, how else could I be certain of keeping you by my side? You're still a beautiful woman, Clemency. Sooner or later some chap will turn your head. I couldn't bear that. Staying in the chair was the only way I could be certain of keeping you." He turned then to Agatha. "Confound it, Mrs. Christie, how did you discover the truth?"

"Actually, um, I had no idea. I was going to say that you were completely innocent."

"Oh. Ugh." The man grumbled. "Well well, shall I sit down then?"

"Yeah, I'd think you better had."

"So he's not the murderer?" Donna asked again. Agatha nodded as the Colonel sat, taking his wife's hand.

"Indeed not. To find the truth let's return to this." She reached and took the Firestone from the Doctor. "Far more than the Unicorn's object of desire, the Firestone has quite a history. Lady Eddison."

"I've done nothing!" The woman protested. "You brought it back from India, did you not? Before you met the Colonel. You came home with malaria, and confined yourself to this house for six months, in a room that has been locked ever since, which I rather think means..."

"Stop, please." She begged, but Agatha pressed on. "I'm so sorry, but you had fallen pregnant in India. Unmarried and ashamed, you hurried back to England with your confidant, a young maid later to become your housekeeper, Miss Chandrakala."

The colonel turned in shock. "Clemency, is this true?"

"My poor baby." Lady Eddison sobbed. "I had to give him away. The shame of it."

"But you never said a word..."

"I had no choice. Imagine the scandal, the family name! I'm British, I carry on."

The Doctor took over the conversation then, as Zuri watched from the couch, slightly dazed due to her arm. She really wanted to get this over with so she could get those painkillers the Doctor promised her.

"And it was no ordinary pregnancy."

"How could you know that?" Lady Eddison gaped.

"'Scuse me, Agatha, this is my territory. But when you heard that buzzing sound in the dining room, you said 'it can't be'. Why did you say that?"

The woman whispered, "You'd never believe me."

"The Doctor has shown me many things." Agatha prompted.

* * *

"It was forty years ago, in the heat of Delhi, late one night. I was alone. And that's when I saw it, a dazzling light in the sky. The next day, he came to the house. Christopher, the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Our love blazed like a wildfire, I held nothing back. And in return... he showed me the incredible truth about himself. He'd made himself human, to learn about us. This was his true shape.

"I loved him so much, it didn't matter. But he was stolen from me, eighteen eighty-five, the year of the great monsoon. The river Jumna rose up and broke its banks. He was taken in the flood. But Christopher left me a parting gift, a jewel like no other. I wore it always, part of me never forgot. I kept it close, always."

* * *

"Just like a man," Robina snorted. "Flashes his family jewels, and you end up with a bun in the oven."

"A 'poor little child'." Agatha picked up the narrative. "Forty years ago Miss Chandrakala took that newborn babe to an orphanage. But Professor Peach worked it out, he found the birth certificate."

"Oh, that's Maiden!" Donna exclaimed loudly, causing Zuri to clap her hands over her ears. "Maiden name!"

"Precisely."

"So, she killed him?"

Lady Eddison looked affronted. "I did not!"

"Lady Eddison is innocent," Agatha assured. "Because at this point, Doctor!"

The Doctor rose from his seat again. "Thank you. At this point when we consider the lies and secrets, and the key to these events, we have to consider... it was you, Donna Noble!" He pointed to a shocked Donna dramatically.

"What? Who did I kill?"

"No." Zuri spoke up then. "No, but you said it before, the vital clue. This whole thing acted out as a murder mystery. It was Agatha who wrote. She wrote such brilliant, clever books. And who was her biggest fan? Lady Eddison."

"Don't, leave me alone." The woman sighed.

"So she did kill them?" Donna was thoroughly confused.

"No, but just think, last Thursday night, what were you doing?"

"I was, I was reading. I was in the library reading my favorite Agatha Christie book, thinking about her plots, and how clever she must be. How is that relevant?"

"No, but just think." The Doctor cajoled. "What else happened on Thursday night?" He looked at the Reverand. "You said, on the lawn this afternoon. Last Thursday night, those boys broke into your church."

The Reverand frowned. "That's correct. They did. I discovered the two of them, thieves in the night. I was most perturbed, but I apprehended them."

"Really, a man of God against two strong lads? A man in his forties? Or should I say, forty years old exactly?"

"Oh my God." Lady Eddison sucked in a breath.

"Lady Eddison, your child, how old would he be now?"

"Forty, he's forty!"

"Your child has come home."

The Reverand scoffed. "This is poppycock."

"Oh? You said you were taught by the Christian Fathers, meaning, you were raised in an orphanage. You found those thieves, Reverand, and you got angry. A proper, deep anger, for the first time in your life, and it broke the genetic lock. You've changed. You realized your inheritance. After all those years, you knew who you were." The Doctor took back the Firestone. "Oh, and then it all kicks off, cos this isn't just a jewel. It's a Vespiform telepathic recorder. It's part of you, your brain, your very essence. When you activated, so did the Firestone. It beamed your full identity directly into your mind, and at the same time absorbed the works of Agatha Christie, directly from Lady Eddison. It all became a part of you.

"Mechanics of those novels formed a template in your brain. You've killed, in this pattern, because that's what you think the world is. Turns out, we are in the middle of a murder mystery. One of yours, Dame Agatha."

"Dame?" She questioned. "Sorry, not yet."

Donna interrupted again. "So he killed them. Yes? Definitely?"

"Yes." Zuri ground out. She would ordinarily be thrilled with this, but her arm hurt.

"Well." The Reverand stood. "This has certainly been a most entertaining evening. Really, you can't believe any of this surely Lady Eddizzzz."

"Lady who?" The Doctor teased.

"Lady Eddizzzzon."

"Little bit of buzzing there, Vicar?"

Zuri slapped the Doctor. "Really now! Don't antagonize the alien murderer."

"Don't make me angry." The creature agreed.

"Why? What happens then?" The Doctor continued to play the idiot.

"Damn it, you humanzzz. Worshipping your tribal zky godzzz. I am so much more. That night, the univerze exploded in my mind."

"Not quite. Hasn't happened yet." Zuri muttered.

"I wanted to take what wazzz mine. And you, Agatha Christie, with your railway ztation bookztall romancezzz. What'zzz to ztop me killing you?"

Lady Eddison reached for him as purple light surrounded him, the transformation beginning. "Oh, my dear God. My child."

"What'zzz to ztop me from killing you all?"

Fully transformed, he flew at them. The Colonel pulled Lady Eddison into a corner as she begged forgiveness. Greeves and Robina joined them. Agatha stood tall then, waving the Firestone. "No. No more murder. If my imagination made you kill, then surely it will find a way to stop you, foul creature." Then she took off out the door, followed by Donna, the Doctor, Zuri, and the Vespiform.

"Wait, now it's chasing us!" Donna screamed.

They managed to slam the door as Agatha pulled up in one of the cars and beeped the horn. "Over here, come and get me Reverand!" She called.

"Agatha, what are you doing?" The Doctor shouted as she began driving away.

"If I started this, then I must stop it." She hollered back as the three who remained hopped in another car. Zuri swiftly hotwired it, with several promises to explain how she knew how to do that later.

"You said this is the day she loses her memories." Donna reminded.

"Time is in flux, Donna. For all we know, this is the night Agatha Christie loses her life, and history gets changed." The Doctor explained.

* * *

They drove swiftly and caught up to Agatha at the lake. "Here I am." She shouted. "Honey in the trap. Come to me, Vespiform."

"She's controlling it. Its mind is based on her thought processes, they're linked." Zuri explained.

"Quite, so. If I die. then this creature might die with me."

The Doctor placed himself between the Vespiform and Agatha. "Don't you hurt her, you're not meant to be like this. You got the wrong template in your mind."

"It's not listening," Donna shouted, snatching the Firestone off Agatha and throwing it as far into the lake as she could. The Vespiform desperately flew after it, drowning in a purple glow.

"How d'you kill a wasp?" Donna asked sorrowfully. "Drown it. Just like his father."

"Donna that thing couldn't help itself." The Doctor stated.

"Neither could I!"

"Death comes as the end. And justice is served." Agatha stated. "Just one mystery left, Doctor. Who are you exactly?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, but Agatha suddenly collapsed, yelling in pain.

"Oh, it's the Firestone, it's part of the Vespiforms mind. It's dying, and it's connected to Agatha!"

A purple glow encased her, then faded as she fell into unconsciousness.

"He let her go. Right at the end, the Vespiform chose to save someone's life. The amnesia! Wiped her mind of everything that happened."

"And us. Everything that happened today, including us." Zuri sighed, gripping her injured arm.

"Yeah but we solved another riddle, the mystery of Agatha Christie. And tomorrow morning, her car gets found by the side of the lake. A few days later she shows up in a hotel in Harrogate, with no idea of what just happened. No-one'll ever know."

"Lady Eddison, the Colonel, and all the staff... What about them?" Donna asked.

"Oh they never say a word," Zuri confirmed. "Shameful story you know, and they're British. The Unicorn ran off back to London. Couldn't have even said she was there, would have blown her cover. But Agatha has a great life you know. Met another man and remarried. Saw the world and wrote many more books."

"She never thought her books were any good though," Donna said glumly. "And she must have spent all those years wondering."

* * *

"Thing is," The Doctor piped in as they headed back to the TARDIS. "I don't think she ever quite forgot. Great mind like hers, some of the details bled through. Like Miss Marple!"

"Should have made her sign a contract."

"And. Where is it, where is it, hold on. Here we go C. That is, C for cyberman." He dug through a storage space under the floor of the TARDIS, throwing out a cyberman chest plate, the Carrionite globe, and a stone statue head. "C for Carrionites, and... Christie! Agatha." He pulled out a book and showed it to them, a large wasp on the cover.

"She did remember!" Donna gasped.

"Somewhere, in the back of her mind, it all lingered. And that's not all, look at the copyright page."

"Facsimile edition, published in the year, five billion?"

"People never stop reading them. She is the best novelist. Of all time. No one knows how they're going to be remembered. All we can do is hope for the best. Maybe that's what kept her writing. Same thing keeps me traveling. Onwards?" He smiled at the girls as they shouted.

"Onwards!"


	4. End of the World Part One

Zuri spent the next few hours getting her arm properly tended, as the Doctor insisted. Using spacey medicine designed to not negatively interact with the artron energy within her. The Doctor refused to explain the majority of what it would change, telling her she would find out soon enough. He did tell her that her mind was about to open up. The connection with the TARDIS giving her telepathic and empathic abilities.

"So you'll be able to hear the thoughts of others for a small bit before past me shows you how to put up barriers. And then you'll be able to communicate with me from a decent distance." He rambled.

"And how do I keep you from seeing your own future in my head? There's stuff in there you shouldn't see."

"It's not too difficult, you just need to set up a mind palace, sort your thoughts. Then anything you don't want seen you lock away. In a room, a safe, a hidden locker under the floorboards. Doesn't really matter just so long as you think of it as locked and hidden."

"Gotcha. Second question, do I have a room in the TARDIS? I need some food, a shower, and a nap."

"Yes. Three rights, a left, and it's the first door you come to. The second door is the kitchen."

"Okay, see you in a bit?"

"Yeah. If you end up popping off, the TARDIS will let me know."

"Alright."

* * *

Zuri wandered down the hall, following the directions the Doctor gave her. She found the kitchen and made herself some macaroni and cheese. Taking the bowl with her after a quick wash of the dishes, she made her way back to the first door, her bedroom.

Her bedroom was decent, big, with a full-sized bed covered in a grey blanket. The walls were a calm sea blue, and the carpet was a sandy colour. It reminded her of the ocean.

She flopped on the bed and ate her meal, setting the bowl on the table by the bed. It took a few minutes to drag herself back off the bed, but she desperately wanted a shower, so she did. Zuri found the door to the bathroom, and the water was already running. A bottle of her coconut shampoo set on the shelf. As the steamy water washed away the sweat and dirt from her adventures, she considered the concept of a mind palace. She knew it had to be a place she could easily recall and had to contain at least one if not more secret compartments. She settled on a small scale version to start with.

Her old bedroom. She placed her knowledge of the Doctors regenerations in a safe under the bed. Her knowledge of the future companions in the locked closet. Everything else relevant to future adventures was placed in a locked drawer in the desk.

Satisfied, she hopped out of the shower and turned to the closet. Deciding to sleep in clothes rather than pj's, lest she pop off in her sleep. She found a pair of plain black joggers and a red tee-shirt with the Ironman symbol on it. Leaving a pair of red converse within arms reach, she finally drifted off to sleep.

When Zuri woke, she was surrounded by the warm, blue glow. Snatching her shoes, she barely had time to wonder which Doctor she'd end up with before the glow brightened and she was moved through time and space.

The glow finally dimmed to reveal the Ninth Doctor and Rose, gaping. "You just, you were..." The Doctor stuttered.

"You just disappeared in blue light! You were gone, and now you're back?"

"Uh yeah, so hi. I'm back. Apparently, the artron energy is changing me, I came from an adventure with your tenth body. I'm gonna pop in and out like that a lot." Zuri rushed. "So, we need to keep scanning my artron levels, but otherwise we are clear for take-off sir."

She gave him a mock salute as he and Rose processed the information dump. "Uhh, to clarify, we did just defeat the Nestene Consciousness right?"

Rose nodded. "We were about to decide where to go and then you started glowing."

"Right then." The Doctor shook himself from his thoughts. "Rose Tyler, you tell me, where do you want to go? Backward or forwards in time. What's it going to be?"

"Forwards." She said firmly as Zuri gave her a thumbs up.

"How far?"

"Hundred years?"

The Doctor pulled a few switches and pressed a few buttons. The engine lurched as they flew through the time vortex. "There you go, step out those doors, it's the twenty-second century."

"You're kidding."

"That's a bit boring though, do you want to go further?"

"Fine by me, Zuri?"

"Let's do it."

The Doctor flipped a few more switches, setting them off again. "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the New Roman Empire."

"You think you're so impressive." Rose teased.

"I am so impressive."

"You wish!"

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on." He revved up the engines one last time before gesturing to the doors.

"Where are we? What's out there?" Rose asked, but the Doctor only smiled.

They were in some kind of wooden room. The Doctor pulled out his sonic, opening the shutters of an enormous window. the three of them walked down some steps and found themselves looking down on planet earth.

"You lot." The Doctor began. "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take the time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty-six. Five billion years in your future. This is the day... Hold on..." He looked at his watch. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

* * *

A computer's voice echoed through the station. "Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation, and religion. Earth Death scheduled for fifteen thirty-nine., followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

Rose, Zuri, and the Doctor walked down the corridor. Rose glanced around, before asking, "So when it says guests does it mean people?"

"Depends what you mean by people." The Doctor joked.

"I mean people. What do you mean?"

"Aliens," Zuri smirked. "Real, proper aliens, Rose."

"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?"

The Doctor sonicked a door before replying. " It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

"What for?" Rose queried.

"Fun." The Doctor commented as they entered an observation deck. "Mind you, when I said the great an good, what I meant was the rich."

"But, hold on, they did this on 'news-round extra'." Rose began. "The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years."

"Millions. But the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity Satellite, that's holding back the sun."

Zuri nodded. "You see, the continents normally would shift, but the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long has it got?" Rose asked. "About half an hour and the planet gets roasted."

"Is that why we're here? I mean is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save earth?"

"He's not saving it. Time's up." Zuri sighed. "The planets empty, everyone left. They flew out among the stars." She turned back to the window as the Steward approached them.

"Who the hell are you? But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone, the guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

"That's me, I'm a guest. Look, you see there? It's fine see?" The Doctor flashed his psychic paper. "The Doctor and Zuri, plus one. I'm the Doctor, that's Zuri, and that's Rose Tyler. She's the plus one. That all right?"

"Well obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy."

The Doctor briefly explained the psychic paper to Rose. The Steward began announcing the other guests.

Zuri pulled Rose over to the side. "They're aliens, yeah. But they're just people. They have thoughts and feelings like you. Talk to one of them. Introduce yourself."

Rose nodded, and they rejoined the Doctor as he was greeting the first guests.

Three tree people had approached, and the leader held out a small tree cutting. "The gift of peace. I bring you a cutting from my grandfather."

"Thank you." The Doctor began, passing the cutting to Rose. "Yes, gifts... uh..."

Zuri rolled her eyes and coughed pointedly.

"Oh. Yes." He beamed. "I give you in return, air from my lungs." He blew gently on her face as she briefly closed her eyes.

"How... Intimate."

"There's more where that came from." He flirted.

Zuri reached over and slapped him. "Really? You've just met, give it a rest."

He merely turned her way and winked. "Plenty for you too."

She blushed and turned away without answering.

The Doctor should be flirting with Rose, but then he seemed to be flirting with everything. Could it be him testing out a new regeneration?

Then the Face of Boe arrived, and she could barely contain her squeal. She tapped the Doctor on his shoulder. "I'll be back." And didn't give him time to answer before she was gone.

As Zuri approached the Face of Boe's tank, the Steward announced,

"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, Trees and Multiforms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth, the Last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seven."

A skin trampoline wearing lipstick was wheeled in, and Zuri had a laugh at Rose's shocked face when it spoke.

"Oh now, don't stare. I know, I know, it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away, and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me, moisturize me." One of the two men accompanying her sprayed something from a canister on the skin. "Truly, I am the last human."

Zuri tuned Cassandra out as she continued to blather on, choosing instead to turn her focus back to the head floating in the jar beside her.

"Boe."

_Sweetness. It's good to see you again._

"I suppose I should get used to the telepathy, only my second jump you know. So strictly speaking I haven't met you yet. But I'm looking forward to it."

 _As you should be._ He hummed faintly as Tainted Love by Soft Cell began playing.

"Now I have to ask, why are you sponsoring the End of the World party?"

_You told me to, Sweetness._

"I did? Oh, must have been future me. Planning things out in advance to ensure the survival of the timelines. Great, this means I should start a To-Do list. Item number one, tell Boe to host the end of the world on Platform One."

She turned as Rose rushed out of the gallery. "I'd better go after her, but I'd love to talk more with you later?"

Boe nodded, which is to say he leaned the whole of himself forwards briefly. Zuri turned back to the door and headed towards them. But was stopped by Jabe with her scanner slash camera thing. She snapped a photo and then thanked Zuri. Zuri briefly wondered what the scanner thought of her, before remembering Rose.

* * *

She walked in on the girl having a conversation with a member of staff.

"Erm, I dunno, a long way away... I just sort of hitched a lift with this man, I didn't even think about it. I don't even know who he is, he's a complete stranger."

The staff member looked worried before Zuri spoke up.

"He's fine, Rosey. Trust me, I wouldn't let you come otherwise. Anyways, let's not keep this lovely woman from her job, can't have Boe with no hot water, he can be a diva sometimes."

She faintly heard Boe's chuckle in her head and realized he heard her. _Sorry, Jacky._

The staff member thanked Rose for permission to speak, saying most people weren't that considerate, before heading back to work.

Zuri watched her go, then turned to Rose. "Alright then, how you coping? I know it is a lot at once, but as you saw, they still have plumber's like her, and she was lovely."

Rose turned to look out the window. "It's just..." She paused briefly as the Doctor entered. "I mean it's great, once you get past the slightly psychic paper... They're just... so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em, and they're alien."

Zuri snorted when the Doctor smiled.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the deep south."

Rose merely turned to the pair of them. "Where are you two from?"

The Doctor shrugged. "All over the place. Zuri's from a different universe, but it's not too different from here. As far as we can guess anyway."

Rose turned to Zuri as if to question, but instead commented, "They all speak English."

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. Telepathic field, gets inside your brain, translates." The Doctor missed Zuri slashing her hand across her throat.

"It's inside my brain?" Rose demanded.

"Well in a good way." He quickly tried to fix the situation, realizing Rose wasn't happy.

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside, and it changes my mind, and you din't even ask?"

Zuri stepped in then. "Rose, he didn't think of that. The TARDIS has been translating for him for so long. He doesn't even remember sometimes that the universe doesn't speak his language. All it's doing is translating, nothing more. She's a lovely ship once she gets to know you, don't be angry. Doctor, will you upgrade Rose's phone? I think she could do with a phone call home tight about now."

And she left the observation room, giving the two of them time to bond.

Zuri trusted the Doctor already, she knew who he was, and who he would become. But Rose didn't have that background information to rely on, and Zuri knew it would take a few conversations to convince her he was totally trustworthy. And with the event to come today, she knew she couldn't interfere. The timeline of Rose and Nine required that today go as Zuri knew. Or else Rose might go home, and the universe would collapse. Rose had to be convinced it was safe, traveling with the Doctor.

* * *

Zuri was chatting some more with Boe when the platform shuddered.

The Moxx of Balhoon turned to them commenting, "This is the Bad Wolf scenario."

Zuri stiffened but kept her part of the conversation up until the Doctor and Rose appeared.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that."

And as there was another small shudder, Zuri contemplated what to do about Jabe. The tree woman was destined to die, but could Zuri change it without changing the timeline?


	5. The End of the World Part 2

The Doctor found a panel and began using the sonic to search the computer. "What do you think Jabe, listen to the engines, they pitched up about thirty hertz, is that dodgy or what?"

Zuri made her decision then. Surely it wouldn't change too much. "Doctor, we need to get to the maintenance duct. Jabe do you know where that is?"

The tree woman turned to her. "It's just behind our guest suite. I could show you, your husband, and your... Concubine?"

"No, Rose is just our friend, and the Doctor is not my husband. We just travel together as friends." Zuri rolled her eyes at the woman's fishing. "Rose, why don't you catch up with the family? The Doctor and I will check the engines."

Rose nodded. "I was wanting a word with Michael Jackson anyways. I'll catch up with ya later, and I want you both home by midnight, ya hear?"

The Doctor smirked and they turned to follow Jabe. "She's figuring it out." He commented to Zuri, who only nodded, brain running at top speed trying to figure out how to save Jabe.

The Doctor frowned, there was someone telepathic on board. Their thoughts were buzzing, it was distracting. He paused in his steps to focus, try to identify them but realized he was being left behind by the two women.

"So who's in charge of Platform One?" He asked instead, trying to ignore the hum of thoughts pressing on his mind. "Is there a captain, or what?"

"There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal man." Jabe answered.

"You mean the computer? But who controls that?"

"The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to the next."

"But there's no one from the Corporation on board?" He clarified.

Zuri piped up then. "They were deemed unneeded, Doctor. They believe this ship to be unsinkable. The facility is completely automatic."

He gave her an incredulous look. "Unsinkable?"

Jabe nodded. "If you like, the nautical metaphor is appropriate."

Jabe and the Doctor continued conversing, but Zuri was dealing with another problem. She could feel Boe's mind. He wasn't trying to communicate, she wasn't even sure he was aware of the connection. And there was something else, pressing on the back of her head. She closed her eyes, pausing briefly in her steps, and reached out. As best she could anyway, towards the other presence. She could hear Jabe and the Doctor around the corner, the Tree asking about the results her scan brought up. That he was a Time Lord.

And suddenly the presence she was reaching for became clear, such sorrow coursing through the connection. It was the Doctor's mind she felt. And then he recognized her.

_Zuri? How is this possible, humans can't..._

_I don't know Doctor, but we can look into it later when we aren't about to be roasted_ _or blasted from the sky or, whatever is going on._ She hinted, hoping he would ignore it until they could properly test the ability.

She scurried to catch up with him, Jabe turning to her as she appeared around the corner. "And you, the metal machine has no idea what you are. The results flipped between human, Time Lord, and something unknown." The woman looked as if she wanted to ask more questions, but the Doctor beat her to it.

"So tell me Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?"

"Respect for the Earth." She hummed, a subtle smirk on her face.

"Oh come on, everyone on this Platform is worth zillions." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, perhaps it is a case of having to be seen on the right occasions."

"In case you share prices drop?" Zuri asked, her head beginning to ache.

"All the same," The tree nodded. "You respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from the planet. Mankind is only one, I am another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet below, I am a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

Zuri wondered briefly at that, the pain in her head growing to be quite distracting as the Doctor got the door open. She shivered at the blast of air that flew down the hall. "Gosh, that's nippy. They must have great AC down here. Although I guess AC at this age would be retro."

The Doctor scanned another panel with his sonic before the panel fell off and a metal spider scuttled out. "What the hell's that?"

"Is it part of the 'retro'?" Jabe asked.

"I don't think so, hold on." He tried to find the right frequency to shut down the spider, but it was escaping.

Jabe fired a long whip of a vine-like appendage at it, dragging it back within reach.

"Hey, nice liana!" The Doctor complimented.

"Thank you, we're not supposed to show them in public." Jabe blushed.

"We won't tell," Zuri assured while the Doctor fiddled with the spider.

"Who's been bringing pets onboard?"

Zuri sighed. "Sabotage. You'd think this far in the future the greed and stupidity would end. Someone wants us either dead or held hostage on a sinking ship."

"The temperature's about to rocket, come on." The Doctor stated, agreeing with her.

They hurried out of the chamber as Britney Spears 'Toxic' began to echo through the Platform.

* * *

As the three of them rushed down the corridor, Zuri had a terrible thought. The Steward! He was trapped in a room with the sun filter descending. She stepped up her pace, shouting for the Doctor to hurry. But as she ran around the corner into a wall of smoke, she knew it was too late.

She stood still in the hall as the Doctor fought with the computer, emotions numb. She'd let someone die. Again. the Doctor's voice filtered through her daze. "There's another sun filter program to descend."

"Rose!" Zuri took off again, and the Doctor kept up, having heard her terror.

They reached the door, and the Doctor called, "Anybody in there?"

"Let me out!" Rose called back frantically.

"Oh, well it would be you." He joked, trying to calm Zuri's mind as it projected her fear. He was going to have to teach her how to control that or she'd end up projecting onto the wrong person. As it was her mental panic was very distracting. "Zuri, think about something else. You seem to have developed mental capabilities, and you're projecting. You have to calm down so I can think!"

Zuri's eyes widened. She began immediately trying to distract herself and ended up listing in her mind what she needed to do to make pancakes. The ingredients, the steps. Her mind calmed as the Doctor finally got the sun filter stabilized.

"Sorry Doctor." She mumbled. She nearly got Rose killed.

He sighed, grabbed her hand, and ran back to the main gallery, hollering at Rose to sit tight.

"Where am I gonna go? Ipswich?"

* * *

Jabe was looking at her computer again. "The metal machine confirms, the spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

Everyone began asking questions at once as the Moxx of Balhoon demanded the Steward be summoned.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," Jabe told them solemnly.

"Who killed him?"

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe!" Cassandra yelled frantically. "He invited us, talk to the face! Talk to the face!"

"Easy way of finding out." The Doctor interrupted. "Someone brought a little pet on board." He took the deactivated spider and zapped it with the sonic. "Let's send them back to master." He placed it down on the floor.

It scuttled in front of Cassandra, before moving on to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Cassandra muttered, looking far too pleased.

"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it..."

One of the black-cloaked figures went to strike the Doctor, but he caught it by the arm and pulled. The arm ripped clean off.

Zuri smiled at him as she stepped up. "A repeated meme is just an idea. That's all they are, an idea."

The Doctor tugged on a wire in the arm and the Adherents crumpled into a pile of black cloaks and metal. Everyone gasped as Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Remote control droids. Nice little cover for the Real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo, go home." The Doctor nudged the spider again with his foot. It scuttled right back over to Cassandra. She merely ridiculed, "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed."

The Doctor merely raised his eyebrows as she continued.

"At arms!" Her two surgeons raised their canisters threateningly.

"What are you gonna do, moisturize me?" The Doctor mocked.

"With acid." Cassandra deadpanned. "Oh too late anyway, my spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax-free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."

Zuri piped up. "Sabotaging the ship while you're still on it, really Cassandra?"

Hoping to speed up the conversation, they really didn't have time before the sun expanded.

"I'd hope to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."

Zuri sneered then. "It's all money then. For your surgeries? Bet you've got shares in rival companies then, just in case you had to kill us all."

She merely smirked again. "How did that old Earth song go? Burn baby burn."

"Then you'll burn with us." Jabe pointed out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders activate."

The platform rocked as a series of explosions shook them. "Force fields have gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick, just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me. Buh-bye darlings." Cassandra and her bodyguards faded as they teleported out.

Zuri wasted no more time. "Doctor, with me, Jabe, keep these people calm." She took the Doctor by the hand and they ran for the computer control room again.

* * *

 _Earth death in four minutes. Earth death in four minutes._ The computer helpfully repeated. Zuri smiled, at least she had bought them two extra minutes by hurrying things along.

"Oh and guess where the switch is." The Doctor groaned as they reached the ventilation chamber from before.

"Right, Doctor you get to play chicken with the fans, I'll hold the lever for the speed down. The heat's gonna vent through here, so be quick?"

He grinned at her before she pulled the lever. He focused on timing his steps through the slower, but still moving fans. Zuri held on tightly to the lever as she watched him stepping through the first two fans, the temperature rising swiftly. _Hurry Doctor._ She begged as the lever grew hot in her hands. She could feel her palms blistering.

He glanced back in concern but focused on saving them. He closed his eyes briefly before stepping through the last fan and yanking down the lever. The shields reset at the very last moment, the Earth exploding into thousands of meteors, rock, and dust, blasted out into space.

Zuri continued to hold the lever just long enough for the Doctor to return, before letting go with a cry. Her palms were covered in dozens of small blisters, and several large ones.

He rushed over, gently grabbing her wrists to get a look. "Oh, Zuri I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Doctor, if I hadn't it would have been Jabe, and she would have roasted alive. I'm happy I could save her."

"That's fantastic! Right then, can I take care of this lot, and then we'll get your hands fixed?" Zuri nodded and the two of them headed for the observation gallery.

* * *

They walked briskly through the doors, Rose running up to them. "You two alright?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah I'm fine, Zuri burned her hands. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He walked over to the supposed ostrich egg that Casandra had presented as a gift and smashed it, revealing a small device.

"Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He twisted a dial on the feed, and Cassandra appeared again.

"Ah, you should have seen their little alien faces. Oh." Realizing she was back, she became flustered.

"The Last Human." The Doctor stated.

"So, you passed my little test, bravo. This makes you eligible to join the erm... Human Club."

Zuri glared. "People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." "That depends on your definition of 'people', and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then, Doctor. And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter..."

"And creak?" The Doctor asked.

"And what?"

"Creak. You're creaking." Zuri watched in horror as Cassandra dried out, her skin growing tight and her eyes bloodshot.

"What? Ah, ah! I'm drying out. Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturize me, moisturize me! My lovely boys, it's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature." The Doctor pointed out.

"Have pity! moisturize me, oh Doctor." Cassandra sounded pathetic and terrified.

Rose was quite shaken by the scene. "Help her!"

But the Doctor stood firm. "Everything has its time, and everything dies."

"I'm too young!" Cassandra shrieked before she exploded into tiny chunks of skin.

Zuri turned to the Doctor, but his face was stone cold. She knew he was fresh from the Time War, and he had to detach himself lest the guilt eat him alive. Testing her new mental reach, she tried to send a wave of comfort his way, and by the smiles on people's faces, she knew it had touched them all.

He gave her the ghost of a smile, and the three of them headed for the TARDIS.

* * *

Rose stopped in a gallery off the main room, staring down at the remains of the planet. "The end of the Earth. And we were too busy saving ourselves, no one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just..."

The Doctor took her hand and reached for Zuri's. "Come with me." They piled into the TARDIS and the Doctor sent them off. They arrived back in two thousand and five and stepped out into the center of Piccadilly Circus.

Crowds of people swarmed around them as they stood, motionless in the middle. All that life. "You think it'll last forever." The Doctor said. "People, and cars and concrete. But it won't. One day, it's all gone, even the sky. My planet's gone."

Rose turned to look at him, realizing he was answering her earlier questions about who he was.

"It's dead, it burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust, before its time."

"What happened?" Rose asked, Zuri keeping quiet.

"There was a war. And we lost."

"A war with who?"

He didn't answer, lost in thought.

"What about your people?" Rose prompted.

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone, I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own because there's no one else."

"There's me." Rose pointed out, smiling softly, and completely forgetting about Zuri in the moment.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

"I don't know, I want... Oh, can you smell chips?"

The Doctor and Zuri laughed.

"Yup, but oh dear, I seem to be popping off." Zuri sighed. No chips for her, and she was hungry. The warm glow brightened and she was gone.


	6. Space McDonald's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intro to a little original adventure

Zuri appeared in some small back room in the TARDIS, and it took a good thirty minutes to find the console room.

The TARDIS kept redirecting her, determined to show her all the major rooms. Kitchen, Library, Theatre, et Cetra.

But eventually, she made it, to find that she had landed with the Eleventh Doctor.

"Zuri! Jump number?"

"Three. What are you up to?"

He flew around the console to give her a hug. "I was about to fetch the Pond's. I thought we'd go to Rio, Amy's been asking."

"Right." Zuri grinned. "Before Rio, I demand food. We were about to get chips when I popped off, and I need my grease."

"Before or after collecting Pond's?"

"After, but let's be quick. Actually, I haven't met them yet, or this you technically."

"Well then," He bowed and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too. Food!" She giggled before reminding him of her hunger.

"Yes. But first, to the Pond's!" He flew about the console, pressing buttons, pulling levers, and flipping switches in disorganized chaos.

Zuri wondered if he was actually doing anything, or if it was all show and the TARDIS did all the work. Her question was answered by the exasperated hum the TARDIS let out before there was a faint pressure on her mind.

She hesitantly reached for it, still getting the hang of her mental control. She felt a warmth and intense pressure as the TARDIS fed information directly into her mind. "Woah."

"You alright?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, Sexy here just decided to download some info."

"Right then. Pond's. Food."

* * *

The Doctor landed in the Pond's backyard.

Zuri flew out the TARDIS door and knocked aggressively.

When the pair opened the door, Zuri barely gave them a moment to register her face before announcing, "Hello, Pond's. It is I, Zuri. Get in, we're going to space McDonald's."

"Hi. Whoa!"

Zuri tugged on Amy's arm, nearly dragging her into the TARDIS. She winced as the skin of her hands tugged.

"Zuri," Rory asked. "What happened to your hands?"

"Oh yeah. Burned them." She shrugged.

"Zuri!" The Doctor demanded, "Why didn't you say something? Where were you?"

"I told you, jump three. Platform One."

"Ah, Cassandra and the tree people. Yes. Right then, Rory, fix her up while I get us to food."

"Right. This way."

* * *

Rory led her down the TARDIS corridors, stopping before a door with a green crescent moon at eye level. He rummaged through a drawer, pulled out a tube of some space cream, and slathered it on her palms. "Now that'll speed up the healing, but be careful for a few days." He put bandages over the top and they headed back to the console.

"All better Doc!" Zuri bounced down the hall. "Are we there yet? McDonald's, McDonald's, McDonald's, McDonald's!"

The Doctor laughed as he threw the lever. The TARDIS flew violently through time and space, before coming to rest with a thump.

Zuri flew to the doors, throwing them open. She stepped out into a glass-domed space station.

There was a flat floor, and it was also glass. Beneath them, as much as it could be with space being directionless, was a massive pink and green swirling gas cloud. Above them was a planet, mostly green with a massive desert at the equator. A storm was circling near the south pole.

She drew in a deep breath, in awe of the beauty of space, and then she turned to the glowing, floating menu. "Do they still have the McChicken this far in the future? How far are we?"

The Doctor laughed. "Yes, and about seven thousand years in the future."

"Great. I want a McChicken. Or three."

"Three? I could maybe manage two if I'm starved." Amy gaped.

"Three's not that bad. If she asks for six, we're in trouble. That means it's been way too long, and she will eat us soon if she doesn't eat fast." The Doctor commented.

Zuri nodded. "Food."

The Doctor jogged up to the counter and ordered. He quickly returned, handing out orders to each of them. "Three McChickens for Zuri, a McDouble for Amy, a Quarter pounder with cheese and extra onions for Rory, and I'll eat the extra fries. But rather than eat here in the food court, I thought we could go to the planet. Bortua."

Zuri nodded enthusiastically, although she was well into her first sandwich. "Shwr. Ownds ood." She mumbled around a bite.

So the four of them piled back into the TARDIS and set off, oblivious to the alien pointing a recorder their way.


End file.
